Officials are probing how a 51-year-old highway bridge came to collapse in the Italian port city of Genoa yesterday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 16 others as it sent dozens of vehicles tumbling into a heap of concrete and twisted steel.

Alan Jones' defence 'scandalous': court

Former NSW deputy premier Andrew Stoner's lawyers want to keep confidential broadcaster Alan Jones' defence in a defamation suit on the grounds that it is scandalous.

The legal action comes after Mr Jones claimed Mr Stoner was "gutless", favoured the mining industry's interests and did Nathan Tinkler's bidding in return for political donations among other accusations on Mr Jones' radio show in June and August last year.

Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham is also being pursued by Mr Stoner.

Mr Stoner's lawyer Terence Tobin on Friday asked Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum to keep the defence confidential on the basis that parts of it were scandalous and irrelevant.

Justice McCallum will hear further submissions on the matter next Thursday.